Shock-absorber.



Patented Jan. 25, 1916.

A TOR/UEVS B. J. DRYER.

SHOCK ABSORBER.

APPLICATION FILED MAY s. |915.

,application tilted may 1915.

To all fwtgm t may concern.:

Be it hnown that ll, Baumann d. Duinen, a citizen oi the United States,and a resident oii'the city ci New York, boroughJ oit-Manhattan, in thecounty and State ot New York, have invented a new and improvedtihochv-tbsorber, of which the following is a full, clear, and exactdescription.

iThis invention relates to shoclr absorbers for vehicles and has to dealmore particu larly with the combined hydraulic and pneumatic shockabsorbing devices and is adapted to be interposed between the vehiclebody and its supporting springs.

rllhe invention has tor its general objects to improve and simplify theconstruction of devices et the character referred to so as to bereliable and eflicient in use, comparatively easy and inexpensive tomanufacture and keep in operative condition, and so designed as toproduce an exceedingly eiicient cushioning action, whereby shocks areedectively absorbed and easy running ofthe vehicle body secured.

A. turther object ot the invention is the provision of a shockabsorberincluding relatively slidable partsbetween which the re tardingor cushioning medium, such as oil or other fluid, acts, the oil beinglcontained in a multicellular resilient sack which is longitudinallycompressed during the absorptionot the shock, and out ot' the sack the'oil escapes through valve-controlled.

ports into the pneumatic chamber that contains air under pressure,whereby co-action ot the pneumatic and hydraulic media eftectivelyabsorbs shocks and prevents the same from being transmitted to thevehicle body.

A further object of the invention is to provide means for the hydrauliccontainer,

whereby the samewill not expand into con-- tact with the cylinder inVwhich it is arranged, so thatree longitudinal contraction and expansionot the sack is permitted.

Another object of the invention is the provision of a pneumatic iniatingmeans ywhich serves as a device for adjusting the tension ot the Springthat controls the-ports through which the hydraulic medium passes.

Still another object is `to adjustably mount the shock absorber on theattached bracket or arm on the vehicle body so that the shoclr absorbercan be set in the proper position, according to the design of the carconstruction.

specification ot Letters-datent.

Patented dan, 2d, initd.,

sanar nu. aeree.

vWith such objects in view, and others which will appear as thedescription proceeds, the invention comprises various novel features ofconstruction and arrangement oi parts which will be set forth withparticu` larity in the following description and claims appended hereto.lin the accompanyingr drawing, which. illustrates one embodiment ot theinvention and wherein similar characters. ot reference indlcatecorresponding parts in all the views, lFlgure l is a central verticalsection of the shock absorber; F ig. 2 is a horizontal section on theline 2--2, Fig. 1; and Fig. 3 is a section through one of the cells ofthe liquid-containing sack.

Referring to the drawing, 1 designates one of the brackets, hangers orarms attached to a vehicle body, and 2 is a leaf of a body supportingspring, and between these two elements is the shock absorber A, which iset cylindrical form and mounted vertically in the arm 1, which has asplit opening or eye 3 in which the shock absorber is verticallyadjustablev and clamped by a bolt or equivalent device 4l when 'in theAdesired. position of adjustment.

The shocl; absorber comprises a cylindrical body section '5 in whichreciprocates a hollow cylindrical plunger 6 formed by a piece of tubing7 which has a working tit in the body 5, and the lower end of the tube 7has screwed thereinto a 'head 8 that is formed with a dependingextension 9. This extension houses a shackle 10 which has its lower endconnected by a pivot 11 with the plunger and its upper end is pivotallyconnected at l2 with the spring 2, the spring extending into registeringvertical slots 1? and 14;. rlhe upper end of the casing or body 5 isprovided with a cylinder 15 which has an external diameter somewhatsmaller than the internal diameter of the body 5, so as to provide anannular pocket 16 into which the upper end ot the plunger 6 slides.rihis cylinder, which is screwed into the casing 5, has a horizontalpartition 17 set inwardly from its lower end, and this partition `isprovided with an internally threaded.

boss 18 into which is screwed a valve guiding tube 19. This partitiondivides the casing into two upper and lower chambers 20 and 21, forholding respectively air and liquid, and these chambers communicatethrough ports 22 in the tube 19, and the ports are controlled by a slidevalve 23.,

` the splice above the valve 23, through said chamber 20.

The cylinder 15 has a cover 24 that is provided with a central openingor neckA 25 in which the upper end of the tube 19 fits.

, The liquid 26 is preferably contained ina rubber or other flexiblesack 27 which consists of a. plurality 4of approximately spliericalcells 27 arranged 1nl coaxial alinement vand communicating throughcontracted portions or necks 29. The bottom of the sack or container '28is closed and rests on the bottom of the plunger or follower 6, and theupperopen end has its circumferential marginal portion or edge 30extending into the bottom of the cylinder 15 and yis 'clamped againstthe partition 17 by a clamping ring 31 threaded into the lower end ofthe cylinder 15. In order to prevent the sack from expanding or cominginto binding contact with thecylinder 7 of the 'plunger 6, each lcellhas an equatorial lmetallic ring 32 set into an annular circumferentialgroove 33, such ring having an external diameter substantially the sameas the internal diameter -ofthe plunger so as to-freely slidelongitudinally thereof. The sack is'compressible and -extensiblelongitudinally during the relative *movement of the body and vehiclewheels when the shock is imparted to the latter, and as the sackcontracts liquid is forced out ofthe same into the bottom of thecompressed air chamber 20, theentrance to the latter being had throughthe valve-controlled ports 22. The

valve 23 'is forced upwardly by the liquid acting on the bottom thereofand uncovers more or less of the ports, but this prgssure on the valveis opposed by a helical s ring 34 lwhich is disposed inthe guide "tu e19 and interposed between the top of the valve `23 and an adjustableabutment 35. The liquid passes freely into the chamber 20, but

Aits return from the latter is retarded by the valve 23 operating toclose the ports 22 to a greateror less extent, so that the recoil of theshock is absorbed. The valve 23 has a stem 36 which passes through anopening 37 in the abutment 35, and on the stem is a head. 38 `forlimiting the downward or closing movement of the valvel 23. Thisabutment 35 is carried by the lowery end of a pneumatic valve 39 whichis fitted in the upper end of the guide tube 19, and by screwing thisvalve device 39 inwardlyor' outwardly the valve 23 can be adjusted. Thevalve device 39 is similar to'the valve in a pneumatic tire, so that itsconstruction need not be set forth. The 'valve device extends out of thetop of the shock absorber and is protected by a removable cap 40, and bymeans of this valve device pneumatic pres- .'sure.' can be establishedin thez chamber 20,

the airpassing through the device 39 into valve, through the ports 22and into the F rom the foregoing description taken connection Vwith theaccompanying drawing, the advantages of the construction and method of4operation will be readily understood by those skilled inthe art towhich the invention a-ppertains, and while I have described theprinciple of operation, together with the device which I now consider tobe the best embodiment thereof, I'desire to havel itnnderstood thatthe'device shown 'is merely illustrative and that such changes chamber,whereby liquid can pass freely into the latter and retardedly therefrom,said sack being longitudinally compressible, and means 'surroundingI thesack for preventing the same from expanding into binding frictionalcontact with the surrounding wall of the device.

2. Avshock absorber comprising an aircontaining chamber, aliquid-containing chamber relatively movable with respect to theair-containing chamber, a valve-controlled port between the chambers, asack in the second chamber for holding the liquid, said sack having anopen end communicable with the air chamber through the port, wherebyliquid can nass from the sack to the air chamber, and vice versa, andmeans for preventing the sack from expanding into contact with thesecond-mentioned chamber when the sack is compressedby vthe relativemovement of the chambers.

. 3. A shockabsorber comprising an aircontaining chamber, aliquidcontaining chamber relatively movable with respect to theair-containing chamber, a valve-controlled port between the chambers, asack in the second chamber for'holding the liquid, said sack having anopen end communicable 'with the air chamber through the port,

whereby liquid can ass from the sack to the air chamber, an vice versa,said sack consisting of axial alining approximately spherical cells, anda ring surroudinor each cell for maintaining the same out of bindingcontact with the surrounding wall of the sack-containing chamber.

4. A shock absorber comprising an air chamber, a liquid-containingchamber relatively movable with respect to the air-containing chamber,atube extending through the air chamber and having a port-ed endthroughfwhich the two chambers communicate, a valve in the ported end ofthe tube `for controlling communication between the chambers, a hollowelement threaded in the tube, eY spring interposed between the valveYand element whereby the latter adjusts the tension of the spring, and anair-admitting valve disposedin the said element,.whereby air underpressure can be introduced into the air-containing chamber.

5. A shock absorber comprising an air chamber, a liquid-containingchamber relatively. movable with respect to the air-containing chamber,a tube extending through the air chamber and having a ported end throughwhich the two chambers communicate, a valve in the ported end of thetube for controlling communication between 'the chambers, a hollowelement threaded in the tube, a spring interposed between `the valve andelement wherebv the latter adjusts the tension of the spring, anair-admitting valve disposed in the said element, whereby air underpressure can be introduced into the air-containing chamber, and a stemconnected with the first mentioned valve and movably attached to thesaid element, whereby the latter and valve are insertible or removablefrom the tube as a unit, and the said stem serving to hold the spring inplace.

6. A shock absorber comprising a cylindrical casing, a cylindervsecuredto the casing and disposed within the same, said inner cylinder havingheads, a tube extending from one head to the other and provided withports, means for supplying air under pressure to the inner cylinder, acylindrical plunger in the first-mentioned cylinder and telescoped overthe inner cylinder, liquid in the plunger adapted to beforced into theinner cylinder, and valve-controlled ports in the said tube forcontrolling the passage of fluid to and from the said chamber.

7. A shock absorber comprising a casing, a chamber therein forcontaining air under pressure, a cylindrical plunger slidably mounted inthe casing, a tube extending axi'- ally of the chamber, an air supplyvalve device adjustably mounted in the tube, ports in the tube, a valveslidable in the tube and.

,ing with the'sack and provided with a port communicating with thechamber, a valve disposed' in the tube for controlling the` port,whereby liquid can pass into and out of the chamber, an air valve devicethreaded in the tube, means for suspending the valve on the said device,and a spring interposed between the valve and said device, whereby thelatter serves to adjust the tension of the spring.

9. A shock absorber comprising a casing,

a hollow plunger slidably mounted in the casing and having one endclosed and the other end open, a flexible sack in the pluner andlongitudinally compressible, means or preventing rtransverse expansionofthe sack, a cylindrical air-containing chamber in the casing, anannular flange carried by the chamber and into which the open end of thesack extends, means engaged with the flange for clamping the sackliquid-tight to the wall of the chamber, Aand a valve-controlledcommunicating means between the open end of the sack and the interior ofthe chamber. lntestimonywhereof l have signed my name to thisspecification in the presence of two subscribing witnesses.

BENJAMIN JAMES DRYER.

Witnesses z' lll. J. CAREY, FRANCIS X. J. ONnmt.

